With the government shutdown having ended Oct. 17, the fear of many federally-funded programs closing or being severely affected started to subside.

Lenoir County Commissioner Eric Rouse said the board took an action meeting on Oct. 7 to move funds around in case the shutdown kept going.

“We took the meeting to make sure we had money available for projects,” Rouse said. “Luckily, the county didn’t incur any losses, we were able to keep the central programs open and everything was paid retroactively.”

Although most federal programs in Lenoir County were safe, the WIC program took a significant hit during its two day-closing from Oct. 15-16.

“The WIC service was adversely affected, even though it was for a short period of time,” Lenoir County Health Department Director Joey Huff said. “We could issue vouchers, but we couldn’t enroll them in the program or recertify those who were initially in the program.”

WIC Director Patricia McCoy said during the two days, 70 people signed a waiting list to be served. All but two received vouchers, but the number of participants was affected severely as many believed the department was shut down.

“There are people who haven’t come back, thinking the government shutdown is still going on,” McCoy said. “Around this time, we have around 2,000 participants, but the number has gone down to about 1,600.”

Huff said there could be another problem with the program, as funds may be reduced anywhere from 5 percent to 10 percent around the beginning of 2014.

“It could be as soon as January, when Congress and the President tackle this issue,” Huff said.

Lenoir County Manager Mike Jarman said he was told by a director on a state level about the possibility of reductions.

“It’s a speculation of what might happen, but it’s not concrete,” Jarman said.

For now, the focus is on getting the word out about the program, trying to maintain the amount of usual participants and boost attendance.

“The more people we have assigned, the more money we can receive from the government,” Huff said. “We have to maintain a 97-percent participation. If we go below, we’ll get our funding cut, and may receive more money if we have more participation. If our funds are reduced, we’ll analyze our options. For example, we’re looking at making a transition to electronic equipment, which would reduce the need for office supplies here.”

McCoy — who said the goal for the program each month is 2,000, but can support as many as 2,500 — is working with staff to get the word out in the county.

“We’re doing outreaches at community locations like daycares and social agencies,” McCoy said. “We’re trying to get other participants and let them know WIC is available and we aren’t shut down.”

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Junious Smith III can be reached at 252-559-1077 and Junious.Smith@Kinston.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JuniousSmithIII.